NEW YORK -- Perched along the railing of the first-base dugout at Yankee Stadium on Saturday morning, 16-year-old Rachel Hecht locked eyes with Aaron Judge, who greeted the Houston-area high schooler with a warm smile.
"You're so ... tall," Hecht said, drawing a laugh from the Yankees slugger, who had just completed his rounds of batting practice.
Accompanied by her father, Steven Hecht, and his wife, Deborah Brochstein, Hecht traveled to New York for a rare opportunity to score behind-the-scenes access with her favorite team as part of an auction that benefited the Jackie Robinson Foundation and the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City.
Wearing press passes for the day, the Hechts "interviewed" Judge, Miguel Andujar and Greg Bird, then posed for photographs. Judge told the youngster that she should expect big things in the Bronx: "It should be a great year. We've got a real good team."
"It was very exciting. I really enjoyed it," Hecht said. "I thought it was great to get to see the players up close and talk to them."
The Hechts got to tour the dugout, the press conference room and the press box, where they met broadcasters David Cone and John Sterling.
"I think it was fantastic," Steven Hecht said. "I want to thank Major League Baseball for the opportunity, and wish the Yankees a great season."
Before they walked to their field-level seats along the third-base line, Hecht was asked if she could see herself returning to the ballpark as a reporter someday.
"That's in the cards," she said. "I don't really know what I'm going to do yet, but I think that would be an interesting career. It'd be fun, especially for the Yankees."